H.R. 1642 (119th)Bill Overview

Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act of 2025

Commerce|Business educationCommerce
Cosponsors
Support
Republican
Introduced
Feb 26, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

This bill amends the Small Business Act to define career and technical education (CTE) by reference to the Perkins Act. It requires Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) to provide educational information on hiring CTE graduates, inform CTE programs about center resources, and, as appropriate, connect businesses and CTE programs to help students and graduates identify career opportunities.

Why people may split

Left emphasizes equity and calls for dedicated funding

Watch point

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a targeted administrative adjustment to the statutory duties of small business development centers and women’s business centers, clearly integrated into existing law and specific about the broad actions to be taken, but it lacks fiscal, procedural, and accountability detail.

This bill amends the Small Business Act to define career and technical education (CTE) by reference to the Perkins Act.

It requires Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) to provide educational information on hiring CTE graduates, inform CTE programs about center resources, and, as appropriate, connect businesses and CTE programs to help students and graduates identify career opportunities.

The changes add outreach and connection duties but do not appropriate new funding or create hiring mandates.

Passage45/100

Modest but plausible chance: low controversy and limited cost help, but passage depends on Senate floor time and prioritization.

CredibilityPartially aligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a targeted administrative adjustment to the statutory duties of small business development centers and women’s business centers, clearly integrated into existing law and specific about the broad actions to be taken, but it lacks fiscal, procedural, and accountability detail.

Contention30/100

Left emphasizes equity and calls for dedicated funding

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Local governments · Small businessesLocal governments

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Local governmentsIncreases employer awareness of CTE graduates as a local hiring pool.
  • Small businessesStrengthens links between CTE programs and small businesses for better labor-market matching.
  • Potential benefitMay reduce recruitment costs by promoting hires with job-ready technical skills.
Likely burdened
  • Potential burdenAdds administrative responsibilities to SBDCs and WBCs without providing new appropriations.
  • Potential burdenCould require reallocation of staff time away from other center services.
  • Local governmentsEffectiveness depends on variable local CTE program capacity and regional coordination.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Left emphasizes equity and calls for dedicated funding
Progressive80%

Likely supportive because the bill promotes workforce development and helps disadvantaged students access career pathways.

May view it as a targeted step toward equitable hiring, but will note absence of new funding and call for stronger protections for job quality and access.

Leans supportive
Centrist85%

Generally favorable as a pragmatic, low-cost way to connect small businesses and CTE graduates.

Would focus on measurable outcomes, administrative burden, and whether SBDCs/WBCs can absorb new responsibilities without extra resources.

Leans supportive
Conservative55%

Mixed to somewhat skeptical.

Values private-sector hiring and workforce training but may worry about expanding federal program duties and unfunded mandates.

Could support if viewed as light-touch, non-regulatory coordination without new spending.

Split reaction
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood45/100

Modest but plausible chance: low controversy and limited cost help, but passage depends on Senate floor time and prioritization.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • No cost estimate or CBO score provided
  • Operational capacity of SBDCs/WBCs to add duties
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

HOUSE · Jun 3, 2025
Fast-track passage✓ PassedBipartisanNear-unanimous
2/3 majority required

The House fast-tracked this bill — skipping normal debate — and it passed with a two-thirds majority. It now moves to the Senate.

What is a fast-track passage?

Suspending the rules allows the House to bypass normal debate procedures and pass a bill immediately with a two-thirds vote.

Yes 99% No 1%
Showing a quick cross-section of legislators, with followed members first when available.
06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Left emphasizes equity and calls for dedicated funding

Modest but plausible chance: low controversy and limited cost help, but passage depends on Senate floor time and prioritization.

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a targeted administrative adjustment to the statutory duties of small business development centers and women’s business centers, clearly integrated into existing l…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
Open full analysis